The 8th Nerve

My mother-in-law bought us the 365: No Repeats 30 minute recipe book by Rachael Ray. Last weekend, Steve picked out recipes for the week and every night we (well, mostly Steve this week) have been cooking. Wow, we feasted like kings. So good. And I remembered again how much fun real cooking can be.

I haven’t actually seen Rachael Ray on tv, but judging by her writing style in the book and the picture on the book and the website, she must be insanely chipper. In general, probably pretty hard to tolerate for extended periods of time. But, I wouldn’t mind if she could be installed for only an hour in my kitchen, timed precisely when I arrive home from work. For the next hour she would be all cheerful and asking me about my day and wearing a low cut blouse and cooking something delicious. Even I’d go for that kind of pick me up.

If you’re a good cook (which is not hard to be, just follow the recipe directions and use an oven timer. I think it actually takes more talent to be a bad cook. I’d like to see a bad cook in action to figure out how they manage it) you could probably make a great living doing that. Get hired to show up in people’s kitchens for an hour, be cheerful, and have good cooking smells waft through the house (and let’s not forget the low cut blouse). You’d charge less than what it costs to eat out at a restaurant, still make a killing and people get healthy home cooked meals.

For a while I was getting into the recipe preparation, actual grocery shopping list, real cooking deal and it was going so well, but it’s too easy to gradually slide out of it. I think this 365 no repeats for a year recipe book is going to become our kitchen bible. No more heating frozen ravioli or Mrs. Bud’s chicken pot pie for us for a while.

Tomorrow’s Friday!

2 Comments »

May 25th 2006Everyday life